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There are four main types of parasite worms that can affect your dog or cat – roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and whipworms. Unfortunately, these parasites are prevalent in the southeastern U.S. because they thrive in a warm, humid climate. Parasite infestations should always be treated promptly, because they can cause your pet to become malnourished and extremely sick.

Roundworms can be passed from a mother dog or cat to her young, and a typical symptom of roundworm infestation is a round ‘pot belly’, especially on young puppies. Roundworms grow to 2-3” and mature within three to four weeks, during which time they constantly siphon nutrients away from the host animal.

Hookworms are more dangerous. They attach themselves to the intestinal wall and feed off the pet’s blood, which can cause your pet to become very sick. These worms are tiny and very difficult to see.
Tapeworms look like rice grains and you might spot them in your pet’s poop. There are two types of tapeworms. Dipylidium caninum is known as the “flea tapeworm” because fleas eat the eggs of this parasite. If a pet has fleas, he could easily ingest some of them and introduce a tapeworm infestation into his digestive tract. Flea control and prevention is absolutely necessary to prevent re-infestation of tapeworms. Taenia and Echinococcus are tapeworms that can be transmitted from an infected wild animal if your pet catches and eats the animal.

Whipworms have a three-month growth cycle and usually cause intestinal distress, including severe diarrhea.

Worms can be treated very effectively with medication from a veterinarian, but several natural remedies can help prevent your pet from getting worms in the first place. Since worms are opportunistic and need a weakened host to invade, good nutrition and clean water throughout the day is essential. I feed my Great Danes a species appropriate diet and provide them with a daily, human-grade natural supplement. (contact me at rubysnaturals@yahoo.com for more information)

The homeopathic remedy Granatum 3C or 6C, twice a day for five days, works well for tapeworms. I also recommend Cina 30C, one time per day for 2 weeks, as an anthelminthic to kill parasitic worms.

Other effective remedies include black walnut, which is commonly used as an anti-parasitic herb for the intestinal tract. Organic, ground pumpkin seeds can also help get rid of tapeworms – just sprinkle some on your pet’s food daily along with ground turmeric, which kills off nematodes.

Papaya seeds are a natural de-wormer; whenever I finish eating a papaya, I save some of the seeds to blend into smoothies, and scatter the rest for my chickens. And papain, a powerful enzyme from the papaya, is one of the ingredients in my dogs’ daily supplement.

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is another great natural de-wormer, and can be mixed into your dog’s or cat’s food daily.